Offroad Bike For Sale, Never Raced, Recently Rebuilt Engine, Blah 1981 Blah Honda Blah XR80A.

I can almost guarantee...
Every time you see a motocross, enduro, trail, or other off-road bike advertised for sale, it comes with those blanket statements. And what I've discovered over the years goes pretty much like this:

• It might not have been raced against other bikes, but it will have been thrashed mercilessly from day one by someone with no understanding of mechanical sympathy whatsoever.
• The "rebuilt engine" may indeed be completely accurate. It will have been stripped and inspected, parts priced up and found to be too expensive, engine subsequently rebuilt, with the old parts, and bike offered for sale as soon as an ad can be written. Now, if you're very lucky, but don't hold your breath, the "rebuilt engine" may come fitted with brand new gaskets. Ooh!
• The age of the bike, and monetary value to the owner, is uber important. It's the difference between regular oil changes and a clean, oiled air filter, and a black sludge, full of metallic particles, semi-circulating around the engine, with broken bits of dirty foam floating around the air box where an air filter used to live.

It is that simple, and brings me neatly into todays little job. The bike, an XR80A, isn't actually for sale; it was given to a mate to use but, before he does, wanted to get it looking good, and running properly. So, he says to me, "I'll clean and paint the rest, but the engine just needs a new head gasket, it's leaking oil". 

Yep, all that's wrong with it - so, whip the head off, replace the head gasket, check the bore while it's apart, just in case we want new rings etc. and slap it back together. It's a walk in the park!

Met the MECGC at the Metz!

Brit twins, and others...
With the boys either not allowed to ride today, or hungover, I cruised down to Canungra for Breakfast on my tod. Saw a few familiar faces, ordered the usual bacon and egg roll and obligatory flat white, and settled down to read Classic Bike. Once consumed, I was ready to head off and take in the views before it got too hot (they're expecting 41°C today, oof).

Strolling into the car park and someone's trying to negotiate a Norton twin into the spot next to the Gixer; and there's me wearing a Norton T-shirt, carrying Classic Bike. Got chatting about Brit twins etc., and found out it was a club ride for the Gold Coast's Motorcycle Enthusiast's Club. Met a few others, some on modern bikes, and took a few pics. It's days like these I wish the Beesa was here. 

Biketech7 - GSXR1000 Fuel Pumps And Filters.

Progress is made...
With the genuine fuel filter, and other bits, quickly delivered from International Moto Parts, and the aftermarket pump from Axiom Performance, I was ready to get back some of the lost power.
So, tank up and fuel line disconnected, I thought I'd try another fuel flow test. No fuel runs out of the tank at all when I disconnect the pipe - which isn't right, it should flow out under gravity. This time, instead of connecting up a separate loom to the pump wiring, I'm just going to turn the ignition on and let the bike run its own priming cycle. That way I can compare fuel amounts before the work, and after. 

GSX750ES - It Continues To Evolve.

The Fabrication.
It's just as well I took this on as a long-termer because due to money, time, and willpower, it's taking ages. 
Cutting, folding, bending and welding metal is something I've dabbled with over the years, but not something I'd consider myself an expert on. Every time I make something I'm not really happy with, I question my ability. But if you stop at that point...

“Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail.” 
― Ralph Waldo Emerson

And so we battle on.

Determined to do the metalwork myself, Im learning as much as I can along the way. I want an English wheel, but that'll have to wait. I want to make the petrol tank, but maybe on another bike. The seat/tail unit is the part I need to get sorted first - for my own sanity.

Compound curves for me at this point are nigh on impossible. It's going to be a while before I can even hope to get where I need to be, so basic curves are the go for now. The welding isn't brilliant either, but I'm learning more all the time. I bought a cheap LED tail light off eBay, and this weekend I made a few more bits to hold it in place.

This is the tail unit I began to make months ago. I make everything in cardboard, get it how I want and then mark it out on a sheet of ally. If it doesn't bend easily I warm it up with a blow lamp using the "soap-turns-black" method. Once annealed I bend it over my leg or something with a smooth curve, taking care not to kink it. This pic also shows one of the first mock-ups of the chain guard. 

GSXR1000K6 - Fuel Pressure And Flow Problems.

Modern thou's are a bit quick...
Even when they have fuelling issues. Ride this thing on the road and any problems are barely perceptible, but once on the track there's a gaping hole where power should be chiming in - and it's gutting! 

So I did a bit of investigating.
Ok, we start with an in-tank fuel filter/pump assembly. It consists of a gauze at the bottom of the unit to prevent any dirt entering the pump. The pump then forces fuel through another larger filter assembly, and the built-in regulator allows any excess pressure to vent fuel back into the tank. 
This complete unit supplies fuel, at 43psi, to a rail containing eight injectors - four primary and four secondary. The primaries maintain the low end of the engine's needs, with the secondaries starting to open at around 4,500RPM and their duration (time spent open) is controlled depending on the angle of the TPS (Throttle Position Sensor). Sounds easy enough so far.

Then there's the exhaust valve. With the standard can still fitted, I'm still relying on the actuator to open and close the butterfly valve in the pipe. A quick look through the frame at the actuator/motor, when switching the ignition on, and it's obvious it isn't moving through its complete cycle. Another problem?

Starter Motor Issues?

Slow to turn over? Doesn't even attempt?
The little GSX saga continued when I wanted to turn it over on the starter motor just to see if everything was doing what it should.
I knew the cams were turning when I turned the crank with a spanner, but there's nothing like spinning it over on the starter to listen to any clonks, or other death blows.
With a charged battery at the ready, I used a pair of jump leads to try and get it to spin, but nothing, just sparks. It's worth noting that you don't want to hold the leads on for too long, in the hope it'll start to turn. Just flick the lead quickly to earth on the frame, or engine, and see if it begins to spin. 

An Ability To See The Best In Everything - Exuding Positivity.

Taking the risks.
It's fair to say I've taken a lot of chances on eBay, and I love it. Whacking a bid on, finding out you've won and seeing how good it turns out. Great fun.
A good mate of mine never did so well; everything he seemed to buy would turn into a massive dilemma. I remember him receiving a box of RMX250 bits years ago and, subsequently, chucking it all, part by part, into the bin at work. How we laughed; no hang on, that was just me. Well now Harvey, time to get your own back.

Putting it down to experience.
The GSX750 I should be working on was a rough-as-f@#k pig when I first got it, but if you look at projects like that, you'd never get on with them. So I try to look at the best bits and work from there. Dig deep and crack on.

So...
Today I bought a "parts bike" with an engine that "turns over", and I've been digging deep ever since!

Good bits - it's a Suzuki.

Bad bits - too many to mention.

Redeeming features - the guy selling it had wads of other parts, including straight forks to fit the GSX750. Every cloud, my friend, every cloud.